The present invention is directed to a system and method for creating a message display of the type often affixed to roadside billboards. More specifically, the present invention is directed to the attachment of a single panel (or a number of separate panels) onto a message display surface. The method and system of the present invention greatly facilitate installation, removal, and replacement of the panel (or panels) by the use of hook fastening elements, which engage an entangled fiber sheet backing thereon to secure the single panel (or multiple panels) to the message display surface.
Several methods and apparatuses for displaying large-scale (or over-sized) messages, such as those displayed on roadside billboards, are known in the art.
One method is to hire an artist to paint the large-scale message (e.g., an advertisement) onto an appropriate message display surface, such as a billboard. To replace the painted advertisement with another, the advertiser simply paints over the old advertisement. While effective, this technique is used infrequently due to the high cost associated with the labor required. Despite the high cost, however, there are some instances, such as when the advertisement is to remain on the side of a building for a long period of time, where the expense associated with this technique may be justified.
A more common technique for creating an over-sized message display is to have the message or advertisement printed onto several large sheets of paper or plastic film. The sheets are then assembled, like a tiling, onto the display surface (e.g., the billboard). With this technique, the sheets are usually affixed to the advertising surface using a glue or an adhesive that assures the panels will remain attached to the advertising surface under just about any type of weather condition. Since the advertisement is affixed to the advertising surface with glue, however, it is difficult, if not impossible, to remove. Therefore, newer advertisements are usually glued on top of the advertisements previously affixed to the advertising surface.
Alternatively, it is known to stretch the advertisement over the display surface by attaching the advertisement to the edge or the rear of the display surface using hooks connected together with a ratchet cord. The hooks at one end of the ratchet cord are threaded through eyelets in the advertisement while the hooks at the other end of the ratchet cord are attached either to the edge of the display surface or to a suitable location at the rear of the advertising surface. With this technique, removal and replacement of the. advertisement is relatively simplexe2x80x94the hooks need only to be disengaged from the advertisement panel or the advertising surface. However, this fastening technique is limited to advertisements constructed as a single sheet (or assembled as a single sheet from a number of sheets) and cannot be applied to multiple panels or sheets that are to be attached to the same display surface. Moreover, sign or message displays of this type are usually made from a fabric that is woven to give the message display high tensile and tear strength. If signs of this type are not manufactured from a woven fabric with sufficient tensile and tear strength, the hooks simply tear through the edges of the sign upon application of a sufficient amount of force.
Other methods of attaching advertising materials to advertising surfaces are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,451 (xe2x80x9cthe ""451 patentxe2x80x9d) describes an apparatus for attaching advertisements to the exterior of a truck, which the patent refers to broadly as a mobile information conveyance system. The attachment apparatus involves attaching a lower retaining channel 11 and an upper retaining channel 12 (with angle brackets 13) to the sides of a standard forty-foot semitrailer. A number of advertising panels 15 are inserted between the retaining channels 11, 12 and are held in place with a safety cable 16 that is held taut between anchors 16B. End channels 14 prevent air (moving at 60+MPH) from dislodging the panels 15 from the retaining channels 11, 12. For the rear rolling door 61 of the semitrailer, the ""451 patent describes the use of hook and loop fastening means (e.g., Velcro(copyright)) to hold a single panel 65 in place. The loop portion 60B of the hook and loop fasteners is attached to the rear of the vinyl sign 65. Hook fastener strips 60 are attached to the door 61.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,464 (xe2x80x9cthe ""464 patentxe2x80x9d) also describes a way to attach an advertising sign to a truck. In this case, however, the display element 12 is attached to the tailgate of a pickup truck 15. Straps 34 and 36 extend from the top and bottom edges of display element 12 and wrap around the top and bottom of the tailgate where they meet at the rear. Straps 34 and 36 may be provided with hook and loop strip fastening arrangements 94 and 96 to hold the display element 12 onto the tailgate of a pickup truck 15.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,129 (xe2x80x9cthe ""129 patentxe2x80x9d) describes removable scene-scapes bordered by an interchangeable window frame for decorating the walls of a child""s room. The background scene-scape 12 is painted with a background scene. The scene-scape 12 is provided with pressure sensitive adhesive for removably affixing the scene-scape 12 to a wall. Hook and loop fasteners 15, 17 may be affixed to the wall around the scene-scape 12 so that a window frame 18 may be removably attached to the wall around the scene-scape 12.
While each of these patents describe the use of hook and loop fasteners for removably attaching elements to a surface, none of them address any of the problems described in connection with the assembly of a large-scale message display from a single panel or from a plurality of separate panels. Moreover, the prior art does not address the construction of a large-scale message display made of flexible sheets with an entangled fiber sheet backing incorporated into the rear surface thereof. Also, none of the prior art describes any technique that simplifies the removal and replacement of a large-scale advertisement from an advertising surface.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for creating a message display that overcomes the deficiencies in the prior art.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a method and system that facilitates assembly and disassembly of message displays constructed from one or more panels.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a message display having a message display surface with a first area. At least one hook fastening element with a second area is affixed to the message display surface. The message display also includes at least one message display panel with a third area. The display panel has a printable surface and an entangled fiber sheet backing. The at least one hook fastening element engages the entangled fiber sheet backing to maintain the at least one message display panel in a fixed relationship to the message display surface.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a message display panel (or a number of panels) where the area of the entangled fiber sheet backing (or loop fastening element) is an integral part of the entire message display panel (or panels).
The present invention has of one of its objects the provision of a display where the hook fastening elements are disposed in a predetermined pattern on the message display surface. Other objects of the present invention provide the shape and construction of that predetermined pattern.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hook fastening element that is affixed to the display surface with an adhesive or other attachment method such as staples, rivets, screws, etc.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a message display where the message display panel or panels have a printable surface integrally formed with an entangled fiber sheet backing to provide the loop fastening element that engages at least one hook fastening element affixed to the message display surface. The printable surface may be made from polyvinyl chloride.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a message display construction system that includes at least one hook fastening element capable of being affixed to a message display surface, and at least one message display panel having a printable surface and an entangled fiber sheet backing. The at least one hook fastening element engages the entangled fiber sheet backing to maintain the at least one message display panel in a fixed relationship to the message display surface.
One further object of the present invention is to provide a method of creating a message display with at least one message display panel with a printable surface and an entangled fiber sheet backing. The method involves affixing at least one hook fastening element to a message display surface. Following that, the at least one message display panel is positioned so that the entangled fiber sheet backing is adjacent to the at least one hook fastening element. Finally, pressure is applied to the at least one message display panel so that the at least one hook fastening element engages the entangled fiber sheet backing to hold the at least one message display panel in a relatively fixed relation to the at least one hook fastening element.